Later Years

Paul Elder never quite financially recovered from the effects of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Production delays, lower-than-expected sales, and competition from department stores such as the Emporium all took their toll. In early 1918, Paul Elder reluctantly closed his publishing business. He didn’t completely stop publishing, but the titles were few and far between, and perhaps mostly vanity publications. Here are the highlights:

A Backward Glance at Eighty, by Charles A. Murdock, 1923

California Gringos, by H. A. van Coenen Torchiana, 1930

Islanded, by Dwight Strickland. 1933

The Story of the Mission Santa Cruz, by H. A. van Coenen Torchiana. 1933